Texas Rangers last season that he thought about giving up baseball.
Kevin Gross' first season in the American League was almost his last.
After 10 seasons in the NL with Philadelphia, Montreal and Los Angeles, Gross started so poorly with the Texas Rangers last season that he thought about giving up baseball.
``I owe these guys a great year,'' Gross said. ``It's nice to come here and get started again. I want to continue where I left off last season.''
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``We sat for an hour on our first trip to Kansas City and talked,'' manager Johnny Oates said. ``He was really down on himself, thought he was letting everyone down. I told him he was a good person he just wasn't pitching good right then.''
Gross' record continued to dip after that conversation. He was 1-6 with a 9.89 ERA before going 8-9 over his final 20 starts. He completed the season at 9-15 with a 5.54 ERA.
``If we scored five runs, I gave up seven,'' Gross said.
Gross' 15 losses, a career high, tied for the league lead. He was 9-7 with a 3.60 ERA in 1994, his final year with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
``Check his record, he's been a slow starter throughout his career,'' Oates said. ``He was thinking about quitting at the time. He felt like he was letting people down. He felt that pressure. I'm glad he decided not to quit.''
Gross, 34, admits he lost his rhythm, his breaking ball was not good and at times he threw too hard.
``Now, I want to stay at a nice high level,'' Gross said. ``I've been working hard all spring. I'm hoping for a great year.''
Gross signed with Texas in December 1994 after four seasons with the Dodgers. The Rangers' rotation this season also includes newcomer Ken Hill, Roger Pavlik and Bobby Witt.
``We're going to do the job,'' Gross said. ``We've got a good staff. Everybody says our pitching has to come around, but you say that about every team in baseball. Pitching is a major key.''
Oates has a plan to help Gross overcome his slow starts.
``We're going to work him so hard in spring,'' Oates said, ``he'll think it's July by the time the season starts.''
